UEFA announces boycott of FIFA

UEFA and its 55 member associations have announced that they have unanimously rejected FIFA's proposal to transfer ownership rights of the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments to private investors.

In a joint statement, it was stated, "The World Cup is not for sale. The World Cup is one of football's greatest sporting legacies. It has been built by generations of players, national teams, and fans. This is not only a profound failure of leadership, but it is also FIFA abandoning its duty as the guardian of world football.

UEFA and its national associations will not participate in any FIFA tournaments as long as these proposals remain in effect. As a result of today's discussions, no UEFA national team will participate in any FIFA tournament as long as these proposals remain on the agenda.

For this to change, the proposal must be withdrawn in its entirety, and binding assurances must be provided that FIFA will never again open its governance or its tournaments to private ownership.

Some things are too important to be sold. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It will always remain so. As long as Europe has a say, the World Cup will never be for sale," the statement read.

News Source: 12punto